In the art of orthopedic surgery, and particularly in spinal surgery, it has long been known to affix an elongated member, such as a plate or rod, to bones in order to hold them and support them in a given position. For example, in a procedure to fuse damaged, diseased, malformed, or otherwise abnormal or injured vertebrae, the vertebrae are positioned in a corrected position by a surgeon. An elongated plate is placed adjacent to one or more vertebral bodies and bone anchors, such as screws or bolts, are employed to secure the plate to the vertebral bodies. The anchors and plate are secured to each other to minimize or prevent relative movement. In this way, the vertebral bodies may be held and/or supported in proper alignment for healing.
There remains a need for systems, devices and methods that facilitate positioning and attachment of implants to one or more vertebrae of the spinal column, that provide various attachment modes of the plate to one or more vertebrae of the spinal column, and that provide multi-axial capabilities for the anchor assemblies employed in attaching the plate to one or more vertebrae of the spinal column.